The Winters Tale

~                                         The Winter’s Tale             Torrington Players The Plough Arts Centre
                                                                                                                        20th November 2015
Director Rosamund Smith                                        Producer Jean Evans – Loude
It was a blustery night to travel from Sidmouth to Torrington to see The Winter’s Tale, however it was worth every mile to see this wonderful portrayal.
I understand that this was their first attempt at Shakespeare, but it could have been a Shakespearean company, so well was it interpreted and performed
Obviously it is extremely wordy play and not easy to perform, especially as the dialogue can be alien to modern ears and interpretation, but this production was extremely impressive.
The scenery and props were minimalist but very effective, with no attempt at “Elizabethan” costume, bands for crowns to identify the “royals” and all in a colour co-ordination of black and green.
King Leontes (Colin Mackey) gave a superb performance with strong emotions of anger and sadness and a good command of the stage. His wronged Queen, Hermione, (Sara Pruce) giving the performance strength with just the right light and shade required.
Mamillius (Beth Williams) as the juvenile young prince had obviously studied the behaviour of young children and was very convincing as the merry boy, followed by her portrayal of Perdita, which was excellent.  Polixenes (Patrick Halpin) was very good indeed as the staunch friend, bewildered by the sudden change in his friendship with Leontes.
   Camillo, Florizel, Paulina, Antigonus and all the other roles were played with enthusiasm and expertise, bringing their characters to life in what is, after all, an improbable story, but making them real and believable.
     The very funny scenes with the “rustics” were well done, especially those involving Autolycus (Steve Puttick) performing some of his role from among the audience and skilfully involving them in his repartee. These scenes, a welcome relief from the emotionally charged drama of the main plot.
The music was just right, changing with the scenes.  , There were some well thought out direction   with good groupings and a cast that performed effortlessly; it was a pleasure to watch and very rarely,so good and enjoyable was it, that I could have happily seen it again the next evening   This was an excellent production and congratulations to all involved, especially Rosamund Smith .
   This was my first visit to The Plough Arts Centre, an excellent facility, an interesting performance area and an outstanding production.           
Graham Liverton NODA Rep
 

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